This year’s Virginia Film Festival, set for Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, will present more than 100 films and feature guests like “New Girl” star Lamorne Morris, “Her Smell” director Alex Ross Perry and “John Lewis: Good Trouble” director Dawn Porter.
The festival’s opening night film is the Cannes Film Festival Palm D’Or-winning “Anora,” which artistic director Ilya Tovbis described as a “21st-century screwball comedy” centered on a dancer from Brooklyn who falls in love with a Russian oligarch’s son. But the programming is wide-ranging, including “Emilia Pérez,” a musical about a drug kingpin, and “The Room Next Door,” Pedro Almodóvar’s English language debut about two sisters who reconnect after years of estrangement.
“It’s this extraordinary slate of films that we think allows almost anyone to find something that’s of interest to them,” Jody Kielbasa, the film festival’s executive director, said.
In addition to being the film festival’s executive director, Jody Kielbsasa is also UVA’s vice provost for the arts. (Photo by Sako Yamaguchi, University Communications)
The festival, a program of the University of Virginia, is celebrating its 37th year. The full list of programming is available online.
With the writers’ and actors’ strikes now resolved, the Virginia Film Festival’s lineup of guests is larger than last year’s. The guest list is still developing, and will eventually reach over 100. The lineup includes “Ben-Hur” actor Jack Huston, “Mary and Max” director Adam Elliot and producer Tracie Laymon.
“The lineup of guests continues to come together, and the guest list will continue to grow,” Tovbis said.
The 137 films on the festival’s schedule were whittled down from more than 2,000 options culled from film festivals around the world. While certain themes guide the programmers’ decisions, like environmental films or movies that showcase Black excellence, they strive to create a balanced slate of viewing options.
Artistic director Ilya Tovbis says the festival offers a “rare chance” to see independent and international films in Charlottesville. (Virginia Film Festival photo)
“It’s always something of a two-way mirror,” Tovbis said. “Independent of your background, you should be able to go to any screening and see your journey represented on screen. And you should be able to go to a screening next door and see a world totally unknown to you.”
The festival’s gala screenings include “Memoirs of a Snail,” Adam Eliot’s coming-of-age film that recently earned top honors at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Eliot will receive the Achievement in Animation award.
Gala screening “Saturday Night” is a reimagining of the 90 minutes before the 1975 premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” Lamorne Morris, famous for his role as Winston Bishop in “New Girl” and fresh off an Emmy win for his performance in “Fargo,” will be on hand after the movie for a discussion. Morris also will receive the festival’s Virtuoso Award. UVA faculty and staff will also be included in discussions surrounding the films.
Another gala screening with ties closer to UVA is “Pavements,” director Alex Ross Perry’s hybridized documentary about the ’90s slacker rock band Pavement. Two of the band’s members, Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich, are UVA alumni who got their start in music on Grounds in the band Ectoslavia. Director Alex Ross Perry will accept the festival’s Directorial Achievement Award.
